I was extremely fortunate to have been able to train under Charles (“Charlie”) Nelson when he was in his prime and teaching incredibly effective and valuable skills at his small but marvelous School of Self-Defense in Manhattan.
Charlie’s original approach was rooted in his WWII hand-to-hand combat and ju-jutsu training under Anthony Biddle and his experiences as a boxer, an official USMC “combat judo” (i.e. ju-jutsu) trainer, and a student of a variety of other approaches to personal mayhem.
May he rest in peace and, in some way, may I be successful in carrying on his “all-in” defense attitude with my American Combato system and Charlie’s devotion to practical realism.
Among the many things I learned from Charlie was the “O’Neill System.” Pat (Dermot) O’Neill was the hand-to-hand combat instructor for that amazing group of men who were often referred to as “supercommandos” – the soldiers of the First Special Service Force, otherwise known as the Devil’s Brigade. Charlie knew of Pat O’Neill but never knew him personally. O’Neill was, however, a legend whose name became almost as well-known and revered as Fairbairn’s or Applegate’s. His WWII System was no longer taught after the war; Charlie had acquired it from a personal wartime student of O’Neill’s.
Among the virtues of O’Neill’s System, as is the case of every wartime and post-war system of full merit, is simplicity and brutality. Like it or not, this is a requirement for dealing with dangerous foes who attack you in the real world. Fancy stuff doesn’t work, and neither do minimal force methods.
Around 1970, years after my training with Charlie and when the Bruce Lee fad was in vogue, I was struck by something. What amazed me was that Bruce Lee assiduously practiced and advocated actions that Pat O’Neill had emphasized in his System!
I do not, in any sense, intend to imply that Lee copied O’Neill. I am only aware of the incredible similarity in the thinking of two well-established “martial arts” masters. I mention it here in part to provide verification that what I am presenting is not merely my tactical thinking – it reflects the combative judgement and tactical thinking of both Pat O’Neill and Bruce Lee.
Both O’Neill and Lee taught an almost identical action:
Thrust your lead hand’s extended fingers into your adversary’s eyes or throat; follow up with a whipping low side kick to his knee. (Note: It is acceptable to kick first and then use the eye or throat thrust with the extended fingers.) This is a great combination to develop!
In American Combato, one of our established attack combinations is – from a non-telegraphing Relaxed-Ready Stance – to drive a straight “fingertips thrust” to the opponent’s eyes with your lead hand and follow up with a knee-breaking side stomping kick using your lead leg.
And no, I didn’t “copy” O’Neill’s method any more than Lee did. (I teach the kick in a somewhat different manner than O’Neill taught.) The combination just suggested itself to me naturally when I was formulating American Combato’s curriculum.
There you have it. Three teachers (O’Neill, Lee, and yours truly) thinking along very similar lines about how to deal with an opponent. Please note that I include myself with no presumptuous comparison in stature with the other two men; I am simply pointing out that what I teach is effective and valid not only in my opinion.
The eyes, the throat, and the knees are foremost targets for self-defense when you must deal with unprovoked criminal violence.
“What about the testicles?” you might ask. An excellent and indispensable target to include in all-round training to be sure, but nowhere near as accessible as the eyes, throat, and knees. So, make the most of this fact!
The Eyes
The blink reflex protects the eyes from dust, but it won’t protect them from being gouged with the thumbs or stabbed hard with the fingertips. And that’s exactly how you want to attack those vital points in a crisis if you’re unarmed.
If, perchance, you have an umbrella or stick or pen/pencil, key, or rolled up magazine handy, jab powerfully into the attacker’s eyes. Coins or gravel thrown into the eyes always distracts.
The Throat
The throat is highly susceptible to impact. The windpipe can be crushed by a blow with the little finger edge of your hand, and any jab made with the fingers or knuckles into the throat will at least distract the strongest man. Violently seizing the windpipe (high, up under and near the jaw, where there is no protection to the thyroid cartilage) with a pincher-like grip of the fingers and then locking on to the windpipe and yanking out, will kill a man.
Obviously, this is to be used only to save your life… that’s all I’m talking about. (Ladies: forcible rape justifies using deadly force in defense, so never hesitate to go 100% all-out and use every ounce of your will and strength against a would-be rapist’s most vulnerable target areas.)
Attacking the throat with an object is feasible and effective. Again, as is the case with the eyes, a stick’s end, violently jabbed into the throat, is a good technique. A pointed umbrella-tip might penetrate the throat, as might a sharpened pencil, a pen, or even a fork.
The Knees
Finally, we have the knees. Two targets. At least one of them must be advanced as an attacker moves on you. A powerful stomping kick will break the knee. Although the strongest joint in the body, the knee can easily be broken with 80 pounds of force directed counter to the joint.
The sides of the knees are also excellent targets, and when stomped will break apart the knee joint. If you kick low and hit the shinbone, that, too, will prove a good target. Just kick hard and fast, and do so as your assailant moves in on you.
The knee/shin target area is excellent for attacking with a walking stick or other stout stick. Once struck, the individual will drop his hands toward the point of pain… and then smashing him across the head with your stick is a logical follow up.
Clearly, it is impossible in one or even 20 articles to convey anything resembling a comprehensive course in self-defense. If you’re really serious, you may consider ordering my complete DVD course. If you’re after serious expertise, then you’ll need to train, and it will take at least five to eight months.
My purpose in these Survivalism articles is to provide valuable and authentic instruction in very basic and reliable yet simple form you can use immediately. Enough to give you a good chance of surviving and escaping a dangerous predator’s attack. That’s quite a bit when you think about it. A lot more than the average person has.
Best of luck to you!
by Bradley J. Steiner
